Geography of the area
The Ore Mountains form the main range of the Ore Mountain system and represent an important part of the northwestern edge of the Bohemian Massif. They stretch for approximately 130 km in a roughly straight line and cover an area of about 1,600 km². Above the Czech inland they rise steeply toward their ridge, while on the German side they ascend only gradually. For this reason, they are often compared to a massive stone wall protecting the northwest of the country. From a geological point of view, the Ore Mountains are a typical fault-block mountain range formed by the uplift and fracturing of the Earth’s crust, with an extensive leveled plateau. On average, about 1,000 mm of precipitation falls here annually.
The most prominent part of the Ore Mountains is the Klínovec Highlands, with an average elevation of around 750 m above sea level. The highest peak is Mount Klínovec (1,244 m). At its summit, the mean annual temperature is about 2.7 °C, and snow cover remains for roughly 150 days each year. The area is therefore also important for winter sports and tourism.
The geological structure of the Ore Mountains is highly diverse. Gneiss, mica schist, granite and phyllite are common here, often intersected by ore-bearing veins and rich in minerals. Thanks to its exceptionally varied geological base, the Jáchymov region ranks among historically important world localities for ore and mineral deposits. Mining of silver, tin and later uranium significantly influenced both the landscape and settlement.
On the plateau about seven kilometres from Jáchymov, near the town of Boží Dar, lies the Božídar Peat Bog Nature Reserve, covering roughly 1,000 hectares. It spreads around Špičák Hill (1,115 m), considered the highest basalt dome in Central Europe. The reserve consists of extensive peat bogs, wet meadows, peat pools and remnants of original mountain forests.
Rare ecosystems and habitats of many animal species can be found here, including red deer and other ungulates, the western capercaillie and the black grouse. Among the plants growing here are dwarf birch, otherwise common mainly beyond the Arctic Circle, mountain pine and the carnivorous sundew. Many of these species are glacial relicts dating back to the last Ice Age, when the peat bog itself was formed.
